


Stopover

by justbygrace



Category: Doctor Who (2005)
Genre: Angst, Canon verse, Dimension Hopping Rose, Episode Tag, Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-04-20
Updated: 2017-04-20
Packaged: 2018-10-21 10:39:01
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,615
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10683588
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/justbygrace/pseuds/justbygrace
Summary: Jack Harkness was dead, but that didn’t seem to stop him from standing in front of her, waving awkwardly.





	Stopover

Jack Harkness was dead, but that didn’t seem to stop him from standing in front of her, waving awkwardly. Rose froze, still partially obscured by the shadow of an overhang. The dimension cannon had landed her in some pretty spectacularly bad situations, middle of a crowd, halfway down the edge of a cliff, millimeters away from getting flattened by traffic, but this, ten feet away from Jack Harkness, was arguably the worst. The cannon needed at least thirty minutes to be ready to transport her out and Rose had no choice but to hold her position as Jack took a tentative step towards her.

"Rose?" The timbre of his voice was enough to cause her eyes to slam shut as she remembered dancing on an invisible spaceship, fleeing for their lives from enraged aliens, late night movies in the TARDIS, and the slightest hint of leather on the breeze. 

She forced her arms to stay at her sides, letting him be the one to approach her. Never let it be said that Rose Tyler didn't listen to the numerous lectures about meddling with time. Jack's face was a mess of emotions and Rose tried to take stock of them as they warred with one another. She took a deep breath and instantly regretted it, the familiar essence of time and Jack's aftershave filled her nostrils, making it hard to breathe clearly.

"Rose." Jack's voice was closer now and she could feel the hint of blood from the half moons she was digging into her palms. "When is it for you?"

Jack's choice of words sent a shock through her system; it was enough to propel her mind into gear and she took a step backwards, studying his face with a clinical distance. She took in a slight scar above his lip that hadn't been there before and an age to his eyes that was reminiscent of the Doctor's, but other than that, it looked like he could have come straight from the TARDIS where her first Doctor was still waiting for them.

"Rose. It's okay. I'm from your present, or close enough anyway." Jack's words cut through her whirling mind.

"How do you know that?" Her voice sounded foreign to her own ears and she realized it had been awhile since she'd last used it.

He grinned at her, a wide and happy thing that felt like a knife through her heart. "I'm still a better detective than you are."

The reference to a long-ago joke was as hurtful as it was reassuring and Rose took a deep breath. "I've got twenty-five minutes."

"That's all I need." Jack raised his hand like he wanted to touch her, but let it drop back to his side. "Can I buy you a drink?"

In another lifetime she would have smiled, she probably would have laughed, making some joke about not falling for his pick-up lines, but those days were long gone, hidden behind white walls and parallel universes and years of protecting herself against unwanted advances. Nevertheless, this was Jack and she had to trust _someone_. She nodded, motioning for him to lead the way; she might be agreeing to a drink and a conversation, but she wasn't going to get too close.

Jack led them directly to a nearby pub, but her Torchwood training informed her they were in Cardiff, a portion she'd never been in and that Jack obviously had. It wasn't even five minutes before they were seated at a corner table, her back to the wall, his eyes trained on her face. He ordered alcohol, she water, and they stared at each other for a moment.

"Rose...I...there is..." Jack broke off when their drinks appeared. He took a moment to compose himself, shifting his gaze to the wall,  
before pinning her with a long look. "There is a lot I have to tell you."

Rose sat back and crossed her arms, raising one eyebrow at him. She didn't like this new version of Jack who was both confident and oddly nervous, it set her teeth on edge and made her even more desperate to be on her way.

Jack started his story hesitantly, voice gaining strength as he launched into a fantastical tale about the end of the world, another time lord, and a year that never was. Rose listened carefully, ruthlessly squashing down her emotions, and concentrating on the details of the story. When he finished, Jack leaned back with a sigh, taking a long swig of his drink. 

When he set it down, he reached out with one finger and gently stroked her hand, and Rose had to restrain herself from flinching at the contact. "He told me about everything, I'm sorry about Canary Wharf." Jack's voice was gentle.

Rose nodded her head in acknowledgement of his statement, and dropped her gaze to study the pattern of the wood table as she considered his story, glossing over the bits that she didn't want to think about at the moment, a new companion, the Doctor being tortured, and focused on the parts that she could. When she found her voice, she discovered she really only had two questions. She chose the one that was more relevant to her mission and opened her mouth. "How long ago was this?"

"Eight months." Jack looked regretful. "I'm sorry Rose."

"But you've heard from him since?" Rose held her breath, maybe she was closer than she thought.

"No, I'm sorry." Jack shook his head and Rose could stand it no longer.

"Will you quit saying that!" The volume of her own voice took her by surprise, and she forced herself to lower it a bit before continuing. "I am so sick of damn apologies. Just tell me what you know and let me be on my way. And stop fucking apologizing."

Jack was motionless as he stared at her, one hand poised with his glass halfway to his mouth. He shook himself slightly and a smile made its way across his face. "Damn, Rosie. It's good to see you again." His smile was swiftly morphing into a full-blown grin.

She rolled her eyes at him, even as she felt the corners of her mouth twitch upwards.

He gestured at her outfit, the blue leather jacket she'd been instantly attracted to and had practically lived in since. "You look like..."

She cut him off before he could continue down that trail; she knew exactly who she looked like. "Why are you alive?" It wasn't exactly relevant to the mission, but she was practically burning with curiosity.

"Ahh." Jack shifted his gaze to the table, to the wall, to the floor before meeting her eyes. "Satellite Five. The Doctor says when you opened the TARDIS, you looked into the time vortex and you, well, you made it so I couldn't die."

Rose bit down hard on her lip to keep the tears from her eyes. She and the Doctor had discussed Satellite Five once after he'd regenerated. He'd danced around the topic for awhile, but at her urging had finally told her about the time vortex and the reason for his regeneration. He had held her while she cried, assuring her it wasn't her fault, pressing kisses to the crown of her head as she buried her face in his chest. He had never once mentioned Jack. "I'm sorry, Jack."

"Thought you said no more apologizing." Jack's tone was gentle, his forgiveness was evident, and Rose felt a wave of homesickness so strong, she had to close her eyes against it.

When the silence stretched on, Jack spoke again. "So, you're heading home?"

She gave her best attempt at a smile, a caricature she was sure looked ghastly. "Trying to."

"I wish I could help, but I don't even have my Doctor detector anymore."

"Your what?" Rose gave him a look, and then shook her head. "Never mind, I don't want to know." She stopped as the cannon beeped, signaling its recharge, and pulled it out, regarding it for a moment.

"You on your way then?" Jack asked, with a hint of something in his tone that she didn't have time to parse out.

"I have to go, Jack. I have to find him, it's important." Rose could hear herself pleading for his understanding, and abruptly stood up. "Any last information?"

"Try London, 2007." He stood as well and regarded her seriously. "And, Rose?"

"Yeah?"

"Good luck, sweetheart."

Rose could feel the barriers she had built beginning to crumble and she couldn't afford that, not yet, not if she was within a few jumps of finally seeing the Doctor. She managed a tight smile and reached out to carefully squeeze Jack's arm, the only contact she could allow herself. "Thanks, Jack." She spun then and headed for the door, shoes clicking oddly against the wood, thankful when Jack did not follow her. As soon as she could duck down an alley, she did so, giving herself a moment to lean against the brick wall and close her eyes against the rush of emotion. She really ought to check back into base, they would be worried, but one more jump couldn't hurt, just a quick follow up to Jack's advice. She closed her eyes and pressed the button.

As soon as the whirling sensations passed, Rose became aware she was standing in a street filled to the brim with emergency personnel, and up ahead a stretcher was being loaded into the back of an ambulance. She couldn't breathe, couldn't move for a solid moment, before breaking out into a run, accosting the red-head standing there. "What happened? What did they find? I'm sorry, did they find someone?"


End file.
